MidAtlantic Book Publishers Association MBPA Blog

Self Published Author, Hugh Howey uses Agents to Sell Subsidiary Rights for his successful series!

Frank Preston — Wed, 11 Apr 2012 21:14:35 GMT

Self-Made Bestseller Weighs Traditional Deals
Self-Publishing
By Rachel Deahl

http://www.publishersweekly.com/pw/by-topic/industry-news/publisher-news/article/51416-self-made-bestseller-weighs-traditional-deals.html

He states how here,
For now, Nelson and Howey are focusing on selling dramatic rights and foreign rights to Wool. Kassie Evashevski at United Talent Agency is shopping the book in Los Angeles, while Jenny Meyer, at Jenny Meyer Literary, is handling the bulk of foreign sales and will be representing the series at the London Book Fair. (So far, Wool has sold in a five-figure pre-empt in Brazil, and there are offers in Germany, Spain, and the U.K.)

Hugh Howey has not quite broken out in the way recent self-publishing superstars like Amanda Hocking and John Locke have, but his sales record has made New York publishing houses take notice. Best known among his avid fan base for Wool, his five-part science fiction series, Howey estimates that this year alone he has sold nearly 140,000 copies of his work. Now, with an agent, he’s been entertaining offers from traditional houses. The problem, he told PW, is the digital royalty rate he’s being offered.

The first title in the Wool series, called Wool, began as a short story, which Howey self-published through multiple platforms in July 2011. Howey had already worked with a small publisher at that pointundefinedNorlights Press, in Indiana, had released his YA novel Molly Fyde and the Parsona Rescue in 2009undefinedand though he said he had a positive experience, his impatience, more than anything else, encouraged him to go the DIY route.

Howey is very active with his fans: readers who buy print editions of his books through his Web site receive signed copies, and he regularly responds to e-mail. But he believes that word-of-mouth ignited his sales more than any outreach he did via Twitter or other social networking platforms. With the Wool series, he said, there was something of a slow build and, for the most part, his sales have seen a major uptick in the past few months; he made $19,000 from his fiction in January, $50,000 in February, and $70,000 in March. Each installment of Wool is priced at 99 cents.

According to Howey, Wool accounts for roughly half his sales. and he credited the word-of-mouth mainly to his Amazon reviews. When he joined Amazon’s Kindle Select program (which forced him to pull his titles from Apple’s iBookstore and B&N’s Nook store), he said sales rose even more quicklyundefinedboosted by hitting the Kindle bestseller lists.

Coverage of Howey has been scantundefinedhe was featured in Wired (online) and on the tech-centric Web site BoingBoingundefinedand it was a reader recommendation, not press, that turned agent Kristin Nelson on to the author. Nelson read the series and contacted Howey in February. In their initial discussions Nelson said she talked about how a traditional book deal might not suit him, but persuaded him that he would need professional guidance to get Wool into the right hands in Hollywood and published abroad. “I think a number of agents [Hugh] talked to wanted him to come on board so they could get a cut of his existing [sales]. I knew we’d make money somehow, so I was mellow about those kinds of things. And I believe, if you’re taking on someone who’s already got a brand, a traditional deal might not be the best way to go, since you likely won’t get the terms.”

Certainly Howey doesn’t view the terms from the traditional houses very favorably. “It’s hard to think about giving up a 70% royalty for an 18% royalty,” he said, referring to Amazon’s digital royalty rate, compared to the rate many large publishers offer. “The transaction has changed when it comes to successful independent authors,” Howey said. “I’d be giving up existing sales [with a traditional deal]. I’d be giving up the freedom to write what I want. To publish as quickly as I want. But publishers don’t seem to realize this.” However, Howey said he would still love to partner with a publisher and reach more readers “if the right offer came along.”

For now, Nelson and Howey are focusing on selling dramatic rights and foreign rights to Wool. Kassie Evashevski at United Talent Agency is shopping the book in Los Angeles, while Jenny Meyer, at Jenny Meyer Literary, is handling the bulk of foreign sales and will be representing the series at the London Book Fair. (So far, Wool has sold in a five-figure pre-empt in Brazil, and there are offers in Germany, Spain, and the U.K.)

Even though there is a lot of new activity around his backlist and the Wool series, Howey is not slowing his writing pace. He’s currently working on a prequel series to Wool, called Legacy (which will also be published in installments); the first one, First Shift, is set to come out at the end of this month.

GROWING YOUR SMALL PRESS

Frank Preston — Fri, 06 Apr 2012 11:47:35 GMT

You heard that saying, "Rome wasn't built in a day."

Well it's true about ANY business and most businesses take about 3 years to show what their true potential is. Three years to know it's market, to fine-tune it's product and to be comfortable with who they are.

FIRST STEPS

When we started our small independent press I was super excited. But my partner made it clear that we would take it slow. Create a business milestone for each year. Our goals for our first year are different than many small presses or indies are that you see around on the internet who start off as mainly small or indie ebook publishers. We had big dreams of breaking into the 'trade' and establishing ourselves as a small press that had books in bookstores, libraries, and other outlets.

How did we do that? Well we joined Independent Book Publishers Association (IBPA) and started networking, learning how to build in that direction. We had to give our business a presence of its own and Phenomenal One Press was beginning to gain that. In addition we decided to wait before presenting our company's product to the trade via Publishers Marketplace and Foreign Rights fairs because we wanted to have more products available for presentation when bringing up our publishing page on Publishers Marketplace, PubMatch, and pursuing subsidiary rights or Foreign rights sales.

Another friend of ours started theirs small indie publishing company focused on the end consumer (reader) market and started publishing their content or books in only ebook formats since that format was cheaper for publishing. Then they waited until their books gained popularity before offering Paperbook formats. Since then she now offers her book in hardcover formats and audio books. But she added a format each year.

LEARNING TO WALK

Most serious businesses start with a business plan - or goal sheet for what they hope to accomplish. Ours was initially a tall order for our first year. Produce 2 books in non-competing genre, promote them and become known in our regional area as a small press. You know what ... we did it. Not only that, we did more. But the great part was, independent book publishers were becoming more visible and there was a realization that they all weren't bad.

Also, with being a member of IBPA, Maryland Writers Association and Mid Atlantic Book Publishers Association I began meeting people who owned small independent presses like mine or that 'self-published' like we were doing and they found considerable success and acceptance within their markets by doing so. That was the support that our small independent press needed.

WALKING UPRIGHT

This year we are starting our two-year establishment plan. We finally think we are ready to present our products more seriously to the trade. Now we are on Publishers Marketplace. And this year will be pursuing sales of our books for Subsidiary Rights and Foreign Rights. Which we've been studying up on for the last year.

Also, now I am the Vice President of MBPA (Mid Atlantic Book Publishers) and I believe whole-heartedly in sharing the knowledge. And am working with our board members to have a Subsidiary Rights Fair we are planning for June 2nd the weekend before BEA to prepare our members for the coming Foreign Rights Fairs coming up later this year. Our president, Mary Shafer did an amazing feet and invited some very knowledgeable people to our meeting to teach us about pursuing these exciting avenues towards sales.

Now we are walking taller. We've come a long way. In the next year we are hoping to add additional authors to the fold. 2013 proves to be exciting. But we still have some growth.

SO, if you SELF-PUBLISH, start a SMALL PRESS or want to,
DO YOU HAVE A PLAN?

Goals on how you are going to grow your business? If you don't join others that can help you, mentor you, and encourage your business. And remember, a PUBLISHER is someone that edits, prepares, and presents items for sale.

Are Authors With Large Pubs the Only Ones with Movie Ops?

Frank Preston — Mon, 26 Mar 2012 21:12:49 GMT

Mid Atlantic Book Publishers will be chatting tonight (use #MBPA to follow chat - Thur. 12/1/2011 at 9pm EST)on this topic.

When you write your book do you see STARS? Dream of that movie deal?

One of the main reasons many would love to be with a large pub is to get a movie option for one of there books.

Of course, that is every writer's dream. But is it possible to do as an Indie Press, Self Published Author or Small Press?

I believe ... anything is possible if you know the roads traveled.

But statistics say - only a small percent of Small Press and Indie has achieved this.

HOW DOES A SMALL PRESS GO ABOUT THIS?

If one can land a Publishing Entertainment Attorney that does this, has contacts and is on bored with shopping the manuscript turned script to possible clients. This is best done before the book comes out. But if it happens after then that's awesome also.

Movie Options can garner a small press or large press from $500-Millions of dollars.

And I know an Indie Author that worked hard at getting the word out about her non-fiction book about serial killers and garnered her Movie Option on her own. So yes people - it can happen.

WHAT TO SELL:

Screenplay writes, Novelization writes, Sequel Rights, Consultant fees and Remake writes.

SOME WAYS John Kremer has composed in his book 1001 Ways to Market Your Books:

Use movie scouts who work for producers, sell direct to studio using the Hollywood Creative Directory, list your books with an online web site, list your books with an online we site, network (by going to film related events).

CAN IT REALLY HAPPEN:

Yes, but just like everything else in this business, it takes time, networking with the right people.

Now Small Publishers need ISBNs for Short Stories published on Smashwords

Frank Preston — Sat, 03 Dec 2011 17:55:21 GMT

Small pubbers listen up if you publish your books and short stories on Smashwords for flow to Kobo and other formats. You will now need ISBNs for even your short stories.

We got this email from Smashwords:

Without an ISBN, we cannot ship the book to Apple or Sony,
and will no longer be able to ship it to Kobo.

Attach ISBNs to your books now so we can get them to these retailers before
the big post-Christmas rush! Visit the ISBN Manager in your Dashboard:

https://www.smashwords.com/ dashboard/ISBNManager

Please note: If your book previously shipped to Kobo without an ISBN, they will
soon remove the book until it has an ISBN. Once the book has an ISBN, we will
redeliver it to them during our weekly shipments. (Refer to our October 3rd
Site Update for more: http://www.smashwords.com/ about/beta )

More information on ISBNs:

Keep in mind that if you already have ISBN for your book, if you did not
receive it from Smashwords, we and our retailers won't know about it until
you attach it to your book in our ISBN Manager page -- even if you
listed the ISBN inside your book.

To learn more about ISBNs, visit our ISBN FAQ page:

http://www.smashwords.com/ about/supportfaq#isbn

How to submit your books to Google ebooks

Frank Preston — Tue, 29 Nov 2011 21:28:15 GMT

Don't forget to submit your books to Google ebooks for sale. It's a cool app for ipad users.

Here's the link for publishers:
http://books.google.com/support/partner/bin/answer.py?hl=en&answer=106169

*This is taken from the Google publishers page:

Adding books

On this page, we'll walk you through the process of submitting a copy of your book to your Partner Program account, in order to add a preview of your title to Google Books.

Tell us about your books

Before we can scan and process your books, we require basic information about the titles that you plan to include. If your books don't have ISBNs, you can skip to Send us your books. To add this information to your account, follow these steps:
1. Sign in to your Google Books account at https://books.google.com/partner/.
2. Click the Preview Program tab.
3. Click the link to the Manage Books page.
4. Click the Add Books link. (If you haven't yet submitted any books, your account should open to this page by default.)
5. Fill out relevant information about your books, including author, title, ISBN and territorial rights.
  - Multiple authors should be entered with a semicolon separating their names.
  - Territorial rights are the countries for which you hold the rights to display the book on Google; enter all for all countries, or learn how to enter more detailed information.
6. Click the Save button.
If you are planning to submit more than five books to your account, you may find it quicker to upload a spreadsheet containing information for multiple books.
Send us your books

Google asks that you send us the first shipment of books within thirty days from your acceptance of the Google Books Partner Program Standard Terms and Conditions.

To submit a copy of your book for scanning and processing, you can submit either a physical copy, or a version of your book in PDF format. Please be aware that we're able to process PDF files more quickly than physical books.

To send us a physical copy of your book, follow these steps:
1. Make sure your book fits within our size guidelines.
2. In your Partner Program account, click the Preview Program tab.
3. Click the link to the Manage Books page.
4. Click the Add Books link.
5. Click Upload/Ship Books.
6. Print a shipping label, making sure to include your listed collection code.
7. Pack your books in a box with a packing slip in accordance with the listed guidelines.
Please note that you are responsible for all costs associated with shipping books to Google. Due to our scanning procedures, we're unable to return any materials that you send. You need only send one copy of your book for scanning and processing.

To upload a PDF file of your book, follow these steps:
1. In your Partner Program account, click the Preview Program tab.
2. Click the link to the Manage Books page.
3. Click the Add Books link.
4. Click Upload/Ship Books.
5. If your book has an ISBN, your PDF filename must include it. If it doesn't have an ISBN, it should be named as the title of your book. Please see this page for a more detailed explanation of how to name your files, including instructions for separate cover images, and content spanning multiple files.
6. Click the Browse button on the web form and locate the PDF file or files for your title.
7. Click Upload files.
8. You'll see a confirmation message indicating the status of this upload.
If you have many books to upload, or if your files are larger than 10 MB, we suggest using the Google Uploader tool, which is optimized for large uploads.

Start Planning Your Book Festival Treks for 2012

Frank Preston — Sun, 13 Nov 2011 18:54:36 GMT

Here is a list of some book fairs you may want to attend come 2012

Entries under each state are arranged by: Name of event | Location of Event |Time of year event takes place

Colorado
Writers in the Sky | Telluride | Oct

Delaware
Delaware Book Festival | Dover | Nov

District of Columbia
Multicultural Children's Book Festival | Nov
National Book Festival | Sept

Idaho

Indiana
Bristol Hills Storytelling Festival |Bristol | Sept
The Hoosier Storytelling Festival | Indianapolis | Oct

Iowa
Iowa Storytelling Festival | Clear Lake | July

Kansas
Kansas Book Festival | Wichita | Sept - Oct
River City Reading Festival | Lawrence | Oct

Minnesota
Minnesota Book Awards | St. Paul | Apr

Montana
Montana Festival of the Book | Missoula | Sept
Montana Storytelling Roundup | Cut Bank | Apr

Nevada
Cowboy Poetry Gathering | Elko | Jan
Vegas Valley Book Festival | Las Vegas (Arts District) | Nov

New Hampshire
Children's Literature Festival | Keene | Oct

North Dakota

Dakota Cowboy Poetry Gathering | Medora | May
University of North Dakota Writer's Conference | Grand Forks | Mar

Oregon
Stories By the Sea Storytelling Festival | Newport | Sept
Tapestry of Tales |Portland | Nov

Pennsylvania
Philadelphia Book Festival | Philadelphia | May
Three Rivers Storytelling Festival | Pittsburgh | Aug

Rhode Island
Rhode Island Festival of Children's Books and Authors | Providence | Oct
Rhode Island Storytelling Festival | Newport | Nov

South Dakota
South Dakota Festival of Books | Venue changes each festival | Sept

Vermont
Brattleboro Literary Festival | Brattleboro | Sept

West Virginia
Ohio River Festival of Books | Huntington | Mar - April (every 2 years)
West Virginia Book Festival | Charleston |Oct

Wisconsin
Wisconsin Book Festival | Madison | Oct

Wyoming
Wyoming Book Festival | Cheyenne | Sept

Get the skinny on Cover Design from The Book Marketing Expert

Frank Preston — Thu, 10 Nov 2011 20:00:19 GMT

I signed up for this great newsletter. Here's a tip I'd like to pass along regarding creation of book covers.

sign up for newsletter here: http://www.amarketingexpert.com/

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

THE BOOK MARKETING EXPERT NEWSLETTER!

A newsletter all about SUCCESSFUL publishing and POWERFUL promotion.

Nov. 10, 2011 Issue #259

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Feature Article: Eight Mistakes that Will Absolutely Kill Your Book!

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

The covers we choose for our books are much more significant than many authors think. Over the years I've seen everything from a finely designed book cover, to one the author created himself. Now, there's nothing wrong with designing your own cover - if you're actually a cover designer. Otherwise, you should leave it to the pros.

I recently had an opportunity to sit down with my friend and colleague Hobie Hobart to talk about the importance of book covers. I think some of his answers will surprise you!

1. How long does the average consumer spend viewing a book cover before he or she decides to buy or not buy the book?

Bookstore browsers spend an average of 8 seconds looking at the front cover and 15 seconds studying the back cover before making a buying decision where your book goes straight to the cash register, not back on the shelf.

Online bookstores such as Amazon reduce the decision time even further. In mere seconds, your cover sings or is ignored among the other small thumbnail covers in the search genre.

Mobile devices display book covers and branding down to a small image about 58 pixels square!

John Willig, president and literary agent of Literary Services Inc., told me about his agency's "3-Second Rule" which they use in evaluating any book submission. If the cover doesn't grab them in 3 seconds they pass on it. Only 3 seconds!

2. What are the biggest mistakes you see in book cover design?

You want your book designed good, fast and cheap. The reality is that you can have only two of these three.

The fast-and-cheap combo is very popular right now but it produces substandard quality and cookie-cutter looks - not a winning combination if you want to sell a sizeable number of books or if you care how the book influences your brand.

You get a limited number of templates to choose from for your book cover. These book production "factories" have no time in the schedule or room in the budget to slow down and pay attention to quality or your image, let alone other important factors which influence the power of your cover.

The bottom line is when you pay dime store design prices, you need to expect dime store quality books.

3. Is it ever a good idea to put your picture on a book cover?

This is contingent on many factors so the initial answer is, it depends. It IS a good idea, and nearly mandatory, to use your picture on the front cover if you are a Barack Obama, an Oprah, or a renowned superstar. Many authors think that putting their picture on the front cover will make them famous. This is not necessarily so. Unless you are well known in the media, bookstore buyers will not accept your book which pictures you on the front cover. However, if you are selling exclusively to a tight niche where you are well known, or your intention is to start branding yourself to a specific market, your photo on the front cover or the spine can be an advantage.

4. What do bookstore book buyers look for in a book cover?

Bookstore book buyers want concise, quick information. They are very attuned to various aspects of their clientele and can instantly tell if that group would be interested in a particular book. The front cover (or spine, if displayed spine out) must lure them in with an attractive, compelling visual, and then a sizzling spot-on title which will hold their interest. The front cover works in a very subliminal way. Once the front cover draws the bookstore browser in, it is expected that the back cover will provide clear reasons why this book is right for them.

Nora Rawlinson, past Editor-in-Chief of Publishers Weekly, says, "Why not judge a book by its cover? - Anyone who has sat through a sales conference can attest to the widely held belief that you CAN tell a book by its cover. And booksellers are as enamored of dust jackets as sales reps. In our study of booksellers' assessments of publisher marketing efforts, 75% of the 300 booksellers surveyed (half from independents and half from chains) said that, of all the elements of the book itself, the look and design of the cover was the most important - The jacket is prime real estate for promoting a book."

5. What distinguishes a bestselling, brand-building book from one that practically guarantees your book will never sell?

Though there are many answers to this question, the most important would be that the cover must absolutely make a connection between your book and your chosen target market. The colors, typestyles and images (if you are using some) must be compatible with the preferences of that market to elicit an immediate response that says, "Pick me!" The title and subtitle have to be concise and compelling. The clear visual reference to a series or previous bestseller, the format of the book (hardcover, softcover, large, small), the look of the inside page design, the width of the spine, the weight and feel of the cover stock - all of these and more need to be right to garner bestselling status and build a brand, and to avoid a garage full of dusty unsold books.

6. How did one of your self-published authors reach bestseller status (over 1,500,000 copies sold!) without being in a bookstore?

Our client, Ruby Payne of aha Process! self-published her book, "A Framework for Understanding Poverty" nearly 15 years ago with a completely homespun, generic cover. The colors were red, black and yellow with outdated silhouette artwork. She developed her marketing methods (which were brilliant) in an organic way, totally rooted in her desire to get the message out to as many people as possible. The book sold fairly consistently for many years. Then we redesigned the cover, maintaining the existing brand while lifting it from a down-home self-published look to the serious professional look of a major publishing house. Sales of the book soared with the dressed-up branding of the book and all relating marketing collateral. Although she had no desire to jump through the hoops necessary for placement in mainstream bookstores, Ruby was so good at getting her information out to those who wanted and needed it that eventually Barnes and Noble came to her and asked to carry her book because so many people around the country were requesting it. Today, this book IS in the bookstore and Barnes and Noble is her largest customer!

7. How can authors evaluate and know that their title and subtitle are clear, compelling and appropriate for their market?

Evaluating a title and subtitle must be done on two levels. First, it must clearly get the reader's attention while in the midst of a multitude of other competing titles, and clearly answer the question: "What is this book about and what's in it for me?" Second, it must deliver that message in an emotional and a rational way. The highly-successful publishing agent, Jilian Manus, told it to me this way: The title must be a "heart" message designed to elicit a powerful emotional response from the reader. The subtitle is a "head" message that informs the reader as to the primary benefit he or she will receive from buying and reading the book. Together the title and subtitle must quickly convey the features, benefits and advantages of your book, and that needs to be understood in 8 seconds or less. If the connection is not made by then, your chance of selling your book to that reader is probably gone forever.

8. How can I be sure I'm choosing the right cover design?

Start by selecting a professional designer who has solid experience in creating bestselling cover design that does its intended job.

Second, if you feel a need to gather opinions about your proposed cover design, do so only from a qualified focus group composed of prospective readers in your market segment who are interested in this specific topic. As an author, you are in your forest and it's easy to seek input from people you know, like your spouse, friends and co-workers. They care for you and want what's best for you, so it's safe to trust their advice, right? WRONG! In reality, their opinions are pretty much useless. They are most likely not your target audience so what they think, well, it simply doesn't matter. If you develop your book to make your friends and family happy, you end up with a book which won't appeal to your buying audience.

Third, when surveying your focus group, do not ask "What do you think about my cover design?" Ask this question, and this question only: "Would you buy this book?" Then sit back and wait for the answer. You are not soliciting opinions about design. Don't even mention it. You only want to know if the cover compels them to buy.

About Hobie Hobart

For over 25 years, Hobie Hobart and his partner Kathi Dunn (known as one of the country's top book cover designers) have created success tools like bestselling book covers and information products that authors, speakers and experts use to build their brands and business empires. Hobie's company, Dunn+Associates Strategic Design and Branding for Authors and Experts, worked for six years with Tony Robbins, developing seminar promotional materials and products including Tony's legendary infomercial product, the PowerTalk series. http://www.dunn-design.com/

How to Sell to Libraries– Top 10 Strategies for Independent Authors and Publishers by Dana Lynn Smith

Frank Preston — Thu, 03 Nov 2011 22:21:21 GMT

Great blog post from:

Here's the link: http://blog.marketingtipsforauthors.com/2011/07/how-to-sell-to-libraries-top-10.html

How to Sell to Libraries– Top 10 Strategies for Independent Authors and Publishers
by Dana Lynn Smith

America's 123,000 libraries purchase nearly $2 billion worth of books annually, according to statistics from the American Library Association and the Book Industry Study Group. Nonfiction books are especially well suited to library sales. To sell fiction to libraries, it's helpful to have reviews in journals, book awards, or a strong local tie-in, such as a novel being set in the region.

Here are ten tips on how to sell to libraries:

1. Publish a library-friendly book. Library books take a lot of abuse, so libraries prefer books that are sturdy. However, given the choice between a hardcover and paperback edition, they may choose the paperback because it's less expensive. Libraries generally will not purchase books with spiral or other nontraditional binding, and they don't like books with "fill-in-the-blank" pages. Nonfiction books should have a good index and preferably a bibliography. Librarians also prefer to purchase books that are cataloged using CIP (cataloging-in-publication) data.

2. Get your book reviewed in a library journal. Library purchasing decisions are based largely on reviews in the major journals. It's impossible for librarians to keep up with the huge volume of books being published, and they value the screening process that the journals provide. Eligibility and submission instructions vary by publication, so read the requirements carefully. Unfortunately, the journals can review only a small percentage of the books submitted to them. If you aren't able to get reviewed in major journals, play up your other reviews in your marketing materials.

3. Make sure your book is available through major library wholesalers such as Baker & Taylor and Ingram. The majority of library book purchases are made through wholesalers, and some libraries won't order directly from small publishers.

4. Apply to work with a library distributor such as Quality Books or Unique Books, if you have a nonfiction book to sell to libraries.

5. Solicit testimonials from librarians to add to your marketing materials, and play up any awards the book has won.

6. Contact libraries in your area to inquire about programs for local authors, and contact libraries in towns you visit. Let the library know about your events or media coverage in the area, such as book signings, radio interviews, or newspaper feature stories.

7. Look into speaking opportunities at libraries, like lectures and readings. In some cases you can sell copies of your book at your event or even get paid a speaking fee. Sometimes these events are organized by the "friends of the library" or other similar volunteer groups.

8. Send direct mail to libraries, either on your own or through co-operative mailings. Address mail to the Collection Development Librarian for your subject area, and include a flyer with book details and a list of wholesalers and distributors that carry your book.

9. Consider donating a sample copy of your book to a few top library systems, to encourage purchases for branch libraries.

10. Exhibit at library tradeshows through co-operative exhibit programs such as those offered through the Independent Book Publishers Association, Combined Book Exhibit, and other organizations to sell your book to libraries.

Regional Indie Bookseller Upgrades to New Physical Location

Mary Shafer — Thu, 03 Nov 2011 10:30:28 GMT

News from NAIBA (New Atlantic Independent Booksellers Assn.)

Sparta Books is moving. On November 1 they will be just five doors down from their current storefront, moving into 29 Theatre Center in Sparta, NJ. Owner, Donna Fell is excited about the move, which will give her a better floorplan and the chance to make a visual statement through colors, layout and flooring. She is happy that she can do all this and still stay a viable part of the community.

Subsidiary Rights - Twitter Chat Resource

Frank Preston — Sun, 30 Oct 2011 17:04:57 GMT

Please join us at our Twitter Chat

November 3rd, 9pm-10pm = Selling Subsidiary Rights (Hosted by: MBPA president Mary Shafer) is hosting our MBPA twitter chat using the hashtag #MBPA to chat http://www.midatlanticbookpublishers.com/Default.aspx?pageId =1112666

Here are some sources for researching Sales of Subsidiary Rights:

Writers House, Inc., Michele Rubin, Subsidiary Rights Manager, 21 West 26th Street, New York, NY 10010; 212-685-2400; Fax: 212-685-1781. Email: mgrubin@writershouse.com. Web: http://www.writershouse.com.

Rights Center, 148 Amber Woods Drive, Tega Cay, SC 29708; 803-396-5683; Fax: 803-396-5684. Email: frdinfo@rightscenter.com. Web: http://www.rightscenter.com. Offers the Film Rights Directory.

Book Clubs, click here.

Hollywood Creative Directory, 5055 Wilshire Boulevard, Los Angeles, CA 90036-4396; 325-525-2369; 800-815-0503; Fax: 323-525-2398. Web: http://www.hcdonline.com.

StoryBay.com is out of business. Try http://www.whosbuyingwhat.com as an alternative.

TV/Film Rights Marketplace, 149 S Barrington Avenue, Los Angeles, CA 90049. Web: http://www.tvfilmrights.com. Authors or publishers pay $35 per month to list a book or manuscript available for rights sales.

Nightingale Conant, 7300 N. Lehigh Avenue, Niles, IL 60714; 847-647-0306; 800-572-2770; Fax: 847-647-9243. Web: http://www.nightingale. com.

Audio Publishers Association, 191 Clarksville Road, Princeton Junction NJ 08550; 609-799-6327; Fax: 609-799-7032. Email: info@audiopub.org. Web: http://www.audiopub.org.

Severn House Publishers, 595 Madison Avenue, 15th Floor, New York NY 10022; 212-888-4042; Fax: 212-759-5422. Web: http://www.severn house.com. Buys large print rights.

Thorndike Press, Jamie Knobloch, 295 Kenney Memorial Drive, Waterville, ME 04901. Buys large print rights.

Licensing Rights

The International Licensing Industry Merchandisers' Association (LIMA), 350 Fifth Avenue #1408, New York, NY 10118; 212-244-1944; Fax: 212-563-6552. Email: info@licensing.org. Web: http://www.licensing.org. With 1,100 members, this is the major licensing trade association in the U.S.

License!, James Mammarella, Editor-in-Chief, Advanstar, One Park Avenue, New York, NY 10016; 212-951-6707; Fax: 212-951-6714. Email: jmammarella@advanstar.com.

The Licensing Book, Adventure Publishing Group, 1501 Broadway #500, New York, NY 10036; 212-575-4510; Fax: 212-575-4521. Matthew Scheiner, Editor-in-Chief. Email: mscheiner@licensingbook.com. Web: http://www.licensingbook.com. A monthly magazine covering the licensing industry.

Licensing 2006 International, Advanstar Communications, 440 Wheelers Farm Road #101, Milford, CT 06460; 203-882-1300; Fax: 203-882-1800. To attend, call 218-723-9130 or 800-331-5706. To exhibit, call 203-882-1300, ext. 159. Email: lic@advanstar.com. Web: http://www.licensingshow.com. The major licensing trade show for the U.S. market, it is produced by Advanstar and sponsored by LIMA. Held at the Javits Convention Center in New York City.

Brand Licensing London, Unit C, Lamb House, Church Street, Chiswick, London W42PD, United Kingdom; 44-208-987-0935; Fax: 44-208-987-0948. Email: mwkelly@advanstar.com. Web: http://www.licensinglondon.com. The #1 licensing show in Europe. Held at the Business Design Centre, London, England.

Surtex, 10 Bank Street, White Plains, NY 10606; 914-421-3200; Fax: 914-948-6180. Email: surtex@glmshows.com. Web: http://www.surtex.com. The North American showcase for two-dimensional designs (prints and patterns for any surface or textile).

Ebook VS Paperback Sales

Frank Preston — Thu, 20 Oct 2011 23:19:07 GMT

This Thursday at 9pm EST Mid-Atlantic Book Publishers (MBPA) will have a twitter chat (use hashtag #MBPA)to weigh in on this topic further.

EBOOK SALES BY GENRE

Recently my publisher and I (I am part owner of Phenomenal One Press) reviewed our sales numbers for all of our titles. What we found was a definite trend in changes. Some were pleasantly pleasing. Others were no surprise.

YOUNG ADULT Books

Initially our sales for The Pack were mainly in paperback in 2010. But at the end of 2010 and into 2011 our ebook sales far outshine our paperback sales for both of our YA books, The Pack and Bandits. It caused us to change our release models for 2012. Also, it saves us a ton of money on returns and printing. After the first print run, we now do Print-On-Demand to save cost on printing after the first digital print run.

Paperback Sales: To local bookstores we sold to, a few libraries, amazon purchases. In 2010 that was the major source of our sales.

Ebook Sales: Wowsa has this increased from 2010! We are consistently selling our ebooks monthly in this genre. Almost to the point of outselling our paperbacks. To be honest that's not too surprising since we see a spike in the paperback sales when the book initially comes out, then a slight peak when another title is release or after our marketing boost of cold-calling and visits to stores that carry our paperback books.

Also, now when I do book signings people ask if its in ebook. I now carry ebook postcards and paste download codes on the card for buyers that want an ebook copy of my books.

MIDDLE GRADE Books:

Paperback Sales: Our Middle Grade (MG) sells much better in Paperback consistently. It sells well at in person book signings, local stores and some libraries. We've seen consistent sales in our paperbacks that increases with each new release.

Ebook Sales: in 2009 when the series first came out there were absolutely 0 ebooks sold in 2009. In 2010 we saw an increase of maybe 2-4 copies a month. In 2011, it only increased to max of 10 copies a few months when one of our other titles came out. Although, we see an increase in numbers we don't believe many kids this age have ereaders. They still like to touch, feel, and read a book in hand. The idea of searching through an ebook catalog of books turns off my now 10yr old so I'm not surprised. However, my 14yr old would love to have her own

GENREs I've RESEARCHED THAT DO WELL AS EBOOK RELEASES:

Oh, check out this nifty Pie-Chart on EBOOK SALES by Derek Canyon.

- Romance (YA/Adult/All other kinds)
- YA (definite growth and growing more and more every year)
- Mysteries and Thrillers

HIDDEN GEMS that sell well in EBOOK Market

- Short Stories. Anthologies. (These do exceptionally well in the ebook market. Most people don't mind spending $0.99 for 35K-50K short. Although a 5-7K short I've seen get bad reviews because it was too short for the reader to feel as though it was worth the $0.99-$2.99 I've seen charged for them)

Independent Booksellers-Listing of states with "A"

Frank Preston — Mon, 10 Oct 2011 00:23:34 GMT

To access the bookstores by state, click on the category button for that state on any page.

Alabama Booksmith – Homewood, Alabama

Arizona Bookstore – Tucson, Arizona

Auburn University Bookstore – Auburn, Alabama

Audreys Books – Edmonton, Alberta

The Babbling Book – Haines, Alaska

Bards Books – Phoenix, Arizona

Beehive Coffee & Books – Monroeville, Arkansas

Book Warehouse – Vancouver, British Columbia

Books on Broadway – Siloam Springs, Arkansas

Bookstore and More – Payson, Arizona

Boswell Book Company – Milwaukee, Wisconsin

Compass Books & Cafe – Anaheim, California

Capital Book & News – Montgomery, Alabama

Changing Hands Bookstore – Tempe, Arizona

Compass Books & Cafe – Anaheim, California

EcoBooks Arizona – Tempe, Arizona

Fireside Books – Palmer, Alaska

Gulliver’s Books – Anchorage, Alaska

Hearthside Books & Toys – Juneau, Alaska

Homer Bookstore – Homer, Alaska

HSU Bookstore – Arcata, California

Jefferson Street Books – El Dorado, Arkansas

Little Professor Book Center – Homewood, Alabama

Malcolm’s Reading Room – Birmingham, Alabama

Mosaic Books – Kelowna, British Columbia

Nicholas Hoare – Montreal, Canada

Nicholas Hoare – Ottawa, Canada

Nicholas Hoare – Toronto, Canada

Nightbird Books – Fayetteville, Arkansas

Old Harbor Books – Sitka, Alaska

Page & Palette – Fairhope, Alabama

Pages Bookstore – Cave Creek, Arizona

Pandemonium Booksellers & Cafe – Wasilla, Alaska

Parnassus Books – Ketchikan, Alaska

That Bookstore in Blytheville – Blytheville, Arkansas

Title Wave Books – Anchorage, Alaska

Tortuga Books – Tubac, Arizona

UAF Bookstore – Fairbanks, Alaska

Wordsworth Books – Little Rock, Arkansas

Results Are In - MBPA 1st Ever TWITTER CHAT

Frank Preston — Fri, 07 Oct 2011 19:46:44 GMT

Mid Atlantic Book Publishers had it's first ever Twitter Chat this past Thurs, Oct. 6th.

The topic was 'PUBLISHING SUPPORT ASSOCIATIONS' like MBPA, IBPA and multiple others.

Some of the topics discussed were:

WHAT AM I? SELF-PUB? INDIE? AUTHOR JUST PUTTING STUFF OUT?

First of all it was deemed by MBPA President, Mary Schaffer, that if you

1. Edit, Format, Create a book.
2. Market and disseminate a book for sale.

Guess what? YOU ARE A PUBLISHER.

Definition of publisher:

pub·lish·er
[puhb-li-sher] Show IPA
noun
1.
a person or company whose business is the publishing of books, periodicals, engravings, computer software, etc.
2.
the business head of a newspaper organization or publishing house, commonly the owner or the representative of the owner.

SO... if you do any of the above. YOU ARE A PUBLISHER!

WHY PARTNER WITH ORGANIZATIONS

If you publish books (even just your own) you are a publisher and need to approach your business of publishing as such. Network, learn the biz, learn to better market...hey and learn your markets and who knows, you just may start taking on authors. Like so many other small press or indie publishers have.

BENEFITS of MBPA and IBPA

Networking

Classes

Co-op Marketing opportunities that put you in front of 'Booksellers' like bookstores, libraries, Foreign Rights and so many other markets.

And much much more!
Mid Atlantic Book Publishers: http://www.midatlanticbookpublishers.com/

And other Affiliate IBPA associations</a> near you. Or hey - start your own :-D
http://www.ibpa-online.org/pubresources/affiliate.aspx

The JOYS of EDITING

Frank Preston — Mon, 29 Aug 2011 21:24:42 GMT

When I first started writing I didn’t know what the heck I was doing when it came to editing. Over the years I figured out what my bad habits are and the ways to trick myself into picking away the junk out of my work and making it shine enough to pass on to an editor that can further shape it up.

But here’s what I’ve learned about it overall.

IF YOU ARE GOING TO BE A WRITER – YOU NEED TO LEARN TO EDIT

I had to take a refresher course on editing. Sure, many writers think they don’t have to learn to edit. That they don’t need to spend extra time figuring out how to clean up their work – THAT’s WRONG. If you take writing seriously – EDITING is a big part of it.

There are books you can read, but taking a class always helps. Also, editing other people’s work is a sure fire way to learn. Lastly, make a list of your personal writing bad habits while you are studying your books on editing and keep that list as you review your own work.

Like with any career, you have to train yourself to be successful and most well written authors are pretty darn good at editing. I should know, because many of them have ripped my early drafts apart, lol!

WHY SHOULD A WRITER LEARN TO EDIT – DOESN’T THE PUBLISHER RE-EDIT WORK ANYWAY?

Whoa! I can’t tell you how many newbie writers have said that to me in the last few years. With the publishing industry being so competitive your stuff needs to be near publish ready before you start submitting it to agents or publishers directly. Yes, once you get an agent/publisher they will edit it further, but it’s much better for them to start with something that’s already in good shape.

SOME WAYS TO IMPROVE YOUR EDITING

Read books on self-editing

Beta read and edit other author’s work

Let your stuff sit for a spell before you jump in with edits

Create an editing checklist for yourself of your bad habits that you need to look for in your document

Use a few editing help tools like autocrit.com which is free

Take a class

ALWAYS REALIZE THAT EDITING IS SUBJECTIVE, skill is different with each person and even the best editors still make mistakes. So try your best to get it as perfect as you can get your work on your own.

by: LM Preston, www.lmpreston.com

MBPA Kicks Off Twitter Chat!!! October 6th, 9pm on twitter #MBPA hashtag

Frank Preston — Wed, 17 Aug 2011 00:32:00 GMT

MBPA kicks off first ever Twitter Chat on Thursday, October 6th at 9pm. This will be a weekly twitter chat that will talk about the Book Biz from the prospective of publishers, writers and people who get their feet wet in the book business.

We are looking for host and guest for upcoming chats. Below please see the dates and topics for our first 2 months of chats. If you would like to speak on any of the topics, or host the topic please email mbpa @ mbpa@wordforgebooks.com

Schedule and Topics (Oct/Nov/Dec)

October 6th, 9pm-10pm = Publishing Support Organizations, like MBPA Host: LM Preston, Guest: Mary Shafer our President.

October 13th, 9pm-10pm = Publishing Release Models

October 20h, 9pm-10pm = Ebook vs Paperback Book Sells by Genre

October 27th, 9pm-10pm = Publisher or Author Spotlight topic

November 3rd, 9pm-10pm = Selling Subsidiary Rights

November 10th, 9pm-10pm = Ingram Distribution Program through IBPA

November 17th, 9pm-10pm = Publisher or Author Spotlight topic

November 24th, 9pm-10pm = Information Overload tweets from members about the publishing biz and Prizes.

December 1st, 9pm-10pm = Pursuing boo-to-movie deals:

December 8th, 9pm-10pm = Marketing using Sweepstakes.

December 15th, 9pm-10pm = Ebook Conversions.

December 22nd, 9pm-10pm = Pricing your book right. When POD. When Offset Printing or Digital Printing is best.

December 29th, 9pm-10pm = Publisher or Author Spotlight topic

HOW TO GET STARTED AND PARTICIPATE

Tools to use: Twitter: www.twitter.com (create an account), Tweetdeck: www.tweetdeck (download and set up so you can follow discussions that are followed by hashtags #MBPA is our hashtag so create a column that follows this hashtag)

Some other Twitter Chats to follow in order to warm up for ours: #litchat (is on Mon, Wed, Fri 4pm-5pm) #yalitchat (is on Wed 9pm-10pm) #Bookmarket (Thursday at 4 p.m) and many more (#WriterWednesday #pubwrite #Writersroad)

SPREAD THE WORD

Please spread the word by tweeting, Facebook posting, Blogging about and emailing bookbiz friends.

Tweets:

#MBPA twitter chat coming! Oct 6th Publishing Support Organizations and what they do for you #publish #write #indie #smallpress #book #ebook #MWA #IBPA

Publishing Buds to help your publishing success talk Orgs and how they boost success #MBPA #IBPA #MWA #publish #smallpress #book

Great, affordable tool for authors & publishers creating products to sell online

Mary Shafer — Sat, 06 Aug 2011 18:57:38 GMT

If you're one of the many authors and publishers who make a significant part of your book sales at the back of the room after speaking presentations, and have been considering developing a line of other related products to sell when you're there -- or maybe afterward, online, here's a great tool I discovered to help you with the packaging.

Cover Action Pro is software that helps you take your book's cover design and translate it to related products like workbooks, audiobooks, home study courses, etc., then to create extremely professional-looking 3D renderings of those products for use in your online store.

You'll still need to design a great cover, but this product even has an upgrade module with dozens of pre-designed layouts you can customize with your own title and other information. Everything's output up to 300 dpi, so you can use the designs first in the production of your print book, and go from there.

The base package is just under $200. A bit pricey until you consider what you'd pay a professional designer to do it for you, and how long that would take, compared to the click-and-finish process using this software. Not to mention that you only pay for this program once, and can use it again and again for that price.

Excellent Tips on Book Marketing: A One-Per-Day Plan You Can Actually Follow, Right Now

Mary Shafer — Fri, 05 Aug 2011 13:59:48 GMT

Sharing here one of the best lists of tips you can use weekly to stay ahead in your book marketing. In his blog Marketing Tips For Authors, Tony Eldridge has put forth 7 Weekly Book Marketing Goals You Can Adopt Today, and what a gift for anyone seeking a way to just get started with this mammoth goal and necessary activity.

If you've been in the author/publishing game for any time at all, you know exactly what I'm talking about. If you're just getting started, take it from me: Any help you can find in getting your mind around the never-ending need to promote yourself and your work will soon be extremely valuable.

Why? Because with all the tools at our disposal, it's really tough to winnow out those things that are really, immediately do-able. More to the point, it's hard to figure out which efforts we could make are most likely to garner some fairly immediate results. Enter this list, which gives excellent suggestions for both.

At 7 tips, it's a perfect "one-per-day" map to book marketing success, for newbies and veterans alike. I'm confident that if you diligently follow this list for a trial period of three months, you'll keep doing it as a regular part of what it takes to get the word out about your books, because it will work. And results is what any marketing plan is all about.

Data on total books published in 2010 shows competition intensifying

Mary Shafer — Fri, 01 Jul 2011 20:36:37 GMT

Sharing this from the Southern Review of Books:

Bowker Books in Print on May 18 issued its preliminary estimates for the total number of books published in the U.S. in 2010. The report raises as many questions as it answers. We have a complete copy of the report, and will have more to say about it in the next issue of Southern Review of Books.

For now, here are some highlights of the report.

	Traditional publishers issued an estimated 316,480 new titles in 2010, up three percent from an initially estimated 302,410 in 2009. Bowker revised the final 2009 numbers upward from the initially estimated 271,851, so the final number for 2009 is now over 11 percent higher. Bowker says the preliminary tally was increased because of the significant number of print on demand titles issued by traditional publishers after last year’s initial estimate.
	Fiction remained the largest category in traditional publishing, with 47,392 new titles in 2010, followed by juveniles at 32,638, sociology/economics, science, and religion. Major increases were shown in computers (51 percent), science (37 percent) and technology (35 percent). Categories that fell the most - "subject to discretionary spending" - were literature, down 29 percent; poetry, off 15 percent; history, down 12 percent; and biography, off 12 percent. Fiction fell three percent, continuing a decline from its high point in 2007.
	Self-publishers monitored by Bowker are growing at a rate of over 10 percent per year. CreateSpace led the field, with about 34,000 new titles in 2010. Lulu was in second place with 11,000, followed by Xlibris at 10,700 and AuthorHouse with 8,500 (about 64,000 titles as a group). In 2009, the top five self-publishers, which also included PublishAmerica, accounted for 57,500 new titles. Remember that self-publishers do not use ISBNs for all of their books, so the ISBN-less books are not included in the totals.
	Bowker did not tally totals for ebook versions of titles. That would not be important if every ebook had a paper title that was counted, but many titles today are being issued as ebooks only. By missing ebooks, Bowker probably understates published counts by six figures. As an example, Barnes & Noble’s PubIt ebook operation, launched in October 2010, already has 90,000-plus digital titles.
	The explosion of public-domain reprints and self-published works that exist primarily as files promoted on the web - in case someone wants to pay to print one - continued in 2010. These out of copyright books published with ISBNs last year grew to a total of 2.776 million works, well up from 1.033 million such titles in 2009. Bowker’s initial estimate for the number of nontraditional books published in 2009 was roughly 750,000, so the 1.033 million 2009 figure is now also significantly higher. Three companies are responsible for most of these titles, accounting for almost 87 percent of all titles published last year. They are BiblioBazaar, General Books and Kessinger Publishing.

Book Publishing Schedule

Mary Shafer — Wed, 29 Jun 2011 17:55:11 GMT

As we sail through summer, many of us are deeply engaged in the production process for our fall season releases. Of those, some may be struggling through their first production rotation. Others have been through the whole print thing before, but may have added audiobooks or ebooks to their formats, and that's all got to be added into the production schedule. Either way, it's a challenge to shepherd all the projects through the process and to make it all come together in some semblance of order, even for the most experienced publishing veteran. Because let's face it: Ours is an industry in flux, and there's no one in the field whose workflow hasn't been or won't eventually be affected.

To offer a bit of help in getting started, here's a detailed, 56-week schedule for print book production I learned of on one of my listservs. It includes a single mention at week 43.5 of "creating ebooks," but that doesn't really allow for the level of detail (and perhaps time) one might wish for and need if engaging an outside source to produce eBook files.

Time to accommodate the ebook production process depends on the level of production required, dictated by content:

Do you have pictures or illustrations?
How many?
Do they need to be spaced throughout the text or can they all be put in one section?
Do you have an index?
How long is it?
Do the entries need to be linked to multiple places in the text?

Another lister offered these changes to accommodate audiobooks and ebooks better in the provided schedule:

Sometime between week 26 and week 29, start process for audio book production (if it's in the plans/budget).
Right around weeks 43 to 44 with the creation of the ebook, you'll probably want to have this process working in parallel, based on how many different ebook formats you plan to release.
From week 39 to week 50, if it's in the budget, produce multimedia pieces to help fill out the brand identities of the book (and author). This would include things like the equivalent of a video trailer for YouTube and sharing on Facebook, Twitter, Tumblr, the product/author website, etc.
Also consider including podcasts of interviews, too.

I hope you find this useful in planning your next production season.

Mary

Truly affordable way to get your next manuscript into eBook format

Mary Shafer — Tue, 29 Mar 2011 10:16:44 GMT

You may already have some of your titles in eBook formats such as ePub for the iPad, or MOBI for the Kindle. If so, you've already navigated the vagaries of converting those manuscripts from print format. It's not tough, generally, but it's some work, and can eat up some serious time, unless you're paying someone else to do it for you.

Either way is not an ideal scenario. Wouldn't it be great if you could just format the manuscript right in your word-processing software, then import it into your page layout program for print, and export it directly from your word processor to eBook format, with no more messing around?

Well, now you can. Literature and Latte, a software company, has just upgraded its Scrivener program to do just that. And for those of you who may have been wishing you could use Scrivener but couldn't because you don't operate in a Macintosh environment, good news: with this upgrade, L&L has also released a version for Windows and Linux!

Aside from this function, Scrivener has a lot of other cool functions, clearly designed with the writer in mind. There are even special templates, etc. for different types of writing, such as novels, screenplays and research papers, to save you formatting time.

It's exactly what I've been looking for, since I have grown to loathe MS Word's growing bloatware problem, as its performance heads in the opposite direction. So I purchased Scrivener myself over the weekend, and can't wait to try it out. My first projects will be to import the original Word docs from our mystery series, stylesheet them, and export to both eBook formats. I'll keep you posted on my findings. Meanwhile, check Scrivener out for yourself, if you're so inclined.

NOTE: I am not affiliated in any way with L&L, and I stand to gain nothing if you purchase this software. This blog post is not officially sanctioned by MBPA, nor does it necessarily represent the opinions of the MBPA board. Just wanted to share my joy at discovering it.

Mary